Author
Topic: Shakey's 2011 (Read 15153 times)

I had Shakey's pizza a few years ago, south of Macon, Ga. I tried the cracker crust, I didn't really care for it. But I understand how anyone that grew up with it could really miss it, and I have read the interest on the forum about Shakey's. I drove by a new "old" Shakey's today. Seems that Shakey's is on the move again building some new restaurants.

Cool Thanks for Posting. WOW Jet deck or Jet Car ? eating pizza + taking pics @ 80 MPH ! sweet! Low hydration dough sheeter ... all lead to that cracker crust. What kind of oven where the sporting? any pics of that? Deck? Impinger/conveyer? Pie looks good. I remember the Shakeys from the 70's domewhere between the drive from franklin Mass to Hawthorne NJ ( Conn.?) to Visit Grandma Every trip we stopped at Shakeys! The local P Hut just closed maybe the shakeys could grab that location? Rt 17 southJohn

Disclaimer: Don't necessarily believe anything I say here. My brain ain't quite right anymore (unless it is). If I come off as rude or argumentative, that's probably not my intention. Rather, that's just me being honest, to myself and everyone else; partly because I don't have enough time left to BS either you or myself. If you are offended by anything I say, it's probably because you think lying to people (to be "polite") is a good idea. I don't.

Jet-Deck...in the LA area, Shakey's always had a cornmeal bottom...the last few times I've been there it seems they've done away with it. I liked it much better with it, b/c it reminded me of Barnaby's back in IL.

PizzardI would guess that if you saw cornmeal you probably were eating a pizza baked in a deck oven. If you're not seeing cornmeal now, it's probably cooked in a conveyor oven. John

John, Regrettably -- in my estimation -- much of the pizza business has converted over to the inferior, "quicky" and cheaper system of baking pizzas in conveyor ovens. While some I've tasted are decent, in side by side comparisons (like Aurelio's in Homewood, Illinois), I can tell in an instant which was made in a deck oven and which in a convection-like (blown hot air) conveyor oven. The deck oven was, still is and always will be the superior way to cook a pizza IMHO. (I don't sound bias, do I?) --BTB

Regrettably -- in my estimation -- much of the pizza business has converted over to the inferior, "quicky" and cheaper system of baking pizzas in conveyor ovens. While some I've tasted are decent, in side by side comparisons (like Aurelio's in Homewood, Illinois), I can tell in an instant which was made in a deck oven and which in a convection-like (blown hot air) conveyor oven. The deck oven was, still is and always will be the superior way to cook a pizza IMHO. (I don't sound bias, do I?) --BTB

Conveyors SUCK! I try not to eat in a parlor that uses them .. Yes , Shakeys used gas deck ovens. Rhe key to a great pie is moving around the decks to ensure propper cooking.

This may have something to do with the recent success of take and bake shops.

I worked for Shakeys and Dominos in the late 70's- early 80's and remember how much I hated the pies at Dominos after they went to CTX's from the Bakers Pride gas and slate ovens.Not to imply that Dominos ever had good pizza... Shakeys was one of "if not the best" pies I've ever had . (excluding the Boise stores ) uhgggg !!

Ingredients for the dough were combined in a Cuisinart food processor and mixed. The flour was sifted prior to adding to the food processor. The shortening was Crisco brand. The salt was Kosher. Yeast was SAF brand.

The dough was allowed to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before going into the refrigerator for ~24 hours prior to use.

Mad_Ernie, I thought that I had remembered in a post some where of yours, that the Shakeys thin dough spent some time in the refer. docked but not topped. Maybe you prepaired this pizza this way, but was just wondering. I'm just thinking out loud here but mabye a docked crust cooked pretty quickly acts differently than a docked refer'd crust. Anywho, the pizza looks very good to me.

I don't recall ever refrigerating a docked dough, although my memory has been known to fail me. I do tend to refrigerate all of my doughs, but I don't roll them out and dock them until when I'm fully preparing the pizza.

Mad_Ernie, I thought that I had remembered in a post some where of yours, that the Shakeys thin dough spent some time in the refer. docked but not topped. Maybe you prepaired this pizza this way, but was just wondering. I'm just thinking out loud here but mabye a docked crust cooked pretty quickly acts differently than a docked refer'd crust. Anywho, the pizza looks very good to me

I do this. I dock when I cut my skins and put them in the refrigerator. Perhaps it was one of my posts somewhere? I lose track...

ME, sure looks tasty. I think you've convinced me that I need to start putting sausage on my pies. I used to a lot but had cut back for health reasons. It's difficult to make so many pies and test them all! Great job.

Hi GangI too have been a long time fan of the thincrust Shakey's pizzas.

While your pizza looks great, I might suggest a few experiments for you to adjust it for a crisper center.1.) I usually parbake the crust a bit for this kind of pizza before putting any toppings on it. Seems to help dry and crisp it a bit.2.) I think your pizza looks good as is, but again in the quest for some more crispness you might try one with a little less cheese, sauce, toppings. You may be over loading it for the center crispness you want.3.) Adjusting time/preheat/and oven temperature may help in some way. Probably too many ways to plan for.4.) I seem to remember Shakey's having a fair amount of cornmeal on the bottom of their crusts. I do that most of the time now and I think it raises the bottom from the stone just enough to help let some moisture to escape from the bottom.5.) Nothing to do with crispness, but I seem to remember that the Shakey's sauce was noticebly brighter/tastier than most other pizzas in our town. There aren't any Shakey's places anywhere in the midwest anymore. Probably been over 20 years since I had one. To get near that extra bit of zing in the sauce flavor, I still add a bit of sugar and a small amount of vinegar to my 6 in 1 puree. The 6 in 1 puree is the brightest tomatoes I have found to date, but I still perk them up for pizza sauce with that touch of sugar and vinegar.

I am not the pro class that some of the other posters are here, but most of my friends and family think my pizzas are better than anything that the local eateries are putting out. Try a few of these simple adjustments and keep us posted on your progress.

Good luck and Have fun and keep us posted with pics, procedures, and recipe details whenever you can.

The use of vinegar is interesting. I have read people cloning other sauces using MSG. From a sauce ingredient posting, I am using powdered citric acid obtained in an international super market. I am using dextrose instead of sugar, again from an ingredient posting. Home brew shops seem to be the best place to obtain small quantities of dextrose.

I'm sorry, but I must say that vinegar would be the last ingredient that I would ever add to a pizza sauce mixture. In my estimation, . . . it would ruin it. Now some may like it, but I think the vast majority . . . wouldn't. But different strokes, eh? --BTB

Generally everyone has a love fest on here--we share a common passion, but the picture taking(at any speed) while you are driving is just stupid. Yes, my rep will be ruined here, but it's just a [bad] move to do that. Sorry.